George Watsky: giving all he can do once more?

George Watsky has had a couple of turbulent years behind him; gaining widespread popularity via Youtube in 2011 and attracting attention in a quite negative way last year, the young rapper is becoming more well-known every year. With increasing attention also comes the opportunity to go on worldwide tours, which the San Francisco native has been doing for quite some time. Last year the Diggers had the opportunity to see him in Amsterdam for his Cardboard Castles tour in Paradiso, where Watsky played an amazingly intimate concert for his audience, which is an experience we yearned to be a part of again. Luckily for us, 2014 brought a new album called All You Can Do and an accompanying tour; October first, it was time for us to see if George Watsky would do justice to the tour’s name and give us all he could do once more.

This year, the setting was slightly different. The venue had changed from Paradiso to the Melkweg, which was paired with a slight increase in the capacity. Fortunately this increase in capacity came with almost no reduction in intimacy, one of Watsky’s trademark features. Combine that with the fact that the Melkweg is one of our favorite venues anyway and you’ve already satisfied an important requirement for a good concert.

Anderson Paak, one of Watsky’s band members, opened the concert in a soulful way. Being quite a talented vocalist and drummer, and having a small band to support him, he took his audience on a journey that was eclectic in the fullest sense of the word. Alternating between his own songs and covers (including an awesome version of Seven Nation Army) that spanned multiple genres, all while interacting with the crowd, Paak did exactly what he was supposed to do: warm up the audience. Unfortunately the last song’s trap beat sounded too un-originally plastic to us and could surely have been left out, but that’s only a small blemish on an otherwise solid performance; Paak’s charisma, musical talent and seemingly casual, self-assured attitude made him a great opening act.

After a brief pause to get some beers, it was time for the Lafontaines, a five-membered band that came all the way from Glasgow to support Watsky. Entering the stage with a loud “What’s up Amsterdam?” and roaring guitars, the band caught the crowd’s attention and got them to jump to their heavy drumbeat immediately. Though the band could simply have been a less impressive crossbreed of the Beastie Boys and Linkin Park, they turned out to be unique soon enough, proving to be very well capable of blending hip hop and indie together into a whirlwind that was only interrupted to catch a breath in between songs. As Paak did, the band took their time to interact with the audience, crack a few jokes and make them bust some moves, which is again exactly what a supporting act should do. Some sweaty 50 minutes later they left the stage, leaving an amped up audience hungry for more.

Another short break gave the crew some time to clear out the stage for the man everybody came to see: George Watsky. Accompanied by his band Crème Fraîche, Watsky came out strong, capturing the audience with his presence from the second he started rapping. Old songs and new ones alike flowed from his mouth like verbal waterfalls in the impressively fast fashion that we’re used to hearing from him. And engaging his listeners from the beginning, Watsky did an even better job in terms of interaction than his supporting acts did, mostly because the audience was more familiar with his songs.
The concert had a nice flow to it. Riling up the crowd with songs like Whoa Whoa Whoa was nicely balanced by quieter songs like Cannonball which, by creating an intimate moment with Watsky as the focal point, was one of the show’s highlights in general. Other memorable moments include an amazing medley of Watsky’s older songs that provided plenty of opportunity to shout along with the lyrics and some of the moments that revolved around the individual band members. Being a true team player, Watsky made sure that the focus wasn’t only on him and gave his band members plenty of room to express themselves and play solos. This led to an amazing drum solo that lasted for a couple of minutes and an intimate song by Anderson Paak and the band’s bassist.
No matter how many songs were played, the audience was so captivated by the music that they did not seem to get tired. Unfortunately though, all good things have to come to an end eventually, as did the concert after almost 1.5 hours. After an encore that did justice to the entire evening, the people were left satisfied and were provided the opportunity to say hi to Watsky, shake hands and take pictures shortly afterwards.

Overall, we can conclude that the evening was not only a concert, but a true event in its own right. Not only Watsky provided a great show, but Anderson Paak and the Lafontaines surely contributed to the vibe of the night as well; as the evening’s name suggested, the artists surely made it seem like they did all they could indeed. We’d therefore recommend seeing any of the artists by themselves, but even more so when they’re performing in the same event. Unfortunately though, us Europeans seem to be in for quite of a wait until that’s going to happen again. However, if you’re a resident of North America, Australia or India, you’re in luck. If you want to be a part of the amazing experience that is a George Watsky concert, there are ample chances to do so. Tour dates can be found here, so be sure to get tickets for when the tour hits your home town. (San Franciscans, put November 28 in your agenda.) All we can do for now, is wait.

-The Biologist and the Chemist

Hup Holland Hup!

Today it is all about Holland! Because the Netherlands made it to the semi-finals of the football world cup, we have dedicated this article to Dutch glory! All the artists in this article are from Dutch soil and are a product of Dutch hard work and labor. We present you a list of 10 artist (in random order) with Dutch artists with whose work we think you should be familiar. So check it out!

1.
On number one we have the Dutch rap group Zwart Licht (Black Light). This Amsterdam based formation consists of producer Hayzee, and MCs Leeroy and Akwasi. With their unique and different approach they manage to elevate the Nederhop to a new level. This new level means transcending the genre and combining MCing with other styles, from spoken word to grime. With their remarkable vocal sound and complex beats they have created one of the most distinguishable Dutch hiphop formations.

2.
Number two is a real power woman! This Amsterdam born singer takes no message to the critique of not having the perfect body. She shows that you don’t have to be skinny to be pretty and awesome. With her power vocals, stunning appearance and old school jazz feeling she makes instant good music.

3.
Not only does Dutch soil produce significantly better singers but also producers and DJs. For example the Dutch production trio NOISIA. Just to give you an example of what the northern provinces of the Netherlands have to offer!

4.
Number four on our random list of Dutch delight is the Amsterdam born and raised singer and rapper Mr. Probz. With his monstrous hit Waves he conquered the national and international charts. But we at Digging For Gems like to avoid the mainstream, so instead of the regular song we present you an even better one, combined with the newly born hip hop superformation Great Minds. The men behind Great Minds are MCs Sticks (Opgezwolle), Djiggy Dje and Winne combined with the producing force Dr Moon. Altogether this combination of Great Minds and Mr. Probz blew our mind (yes we were there!) so let it blow yours!

4.5
Since we brought up the megaforce Great Minds we couldn’t bear it to write an article without showing you one of the most epic songs of contemporary Dutch hiphop.

5.
On number five we present you this young talent that got her breakthrough in the talent show The Voice (Dutch origin). She did an audition at the age of 17 and conquered everyone’s heart at the start of the first note she sang while doing a Britney Spears cover. And by the use of her incredible talent she won the fourth season of The Voice in 2013.

6.
This artists hardly needs any introduction, and if you do need some guidance on this musical mastermind from Utrecht you can click right here on the article we did about him. Here is Kytemans Sorry, one of the most emotionally triggering instrumental songs ever written.

7.
The lucky number seven on our list is the Dutch band BLØF from the south-west corner of our small and watery country. This band has been around for over 20 years and every self-respecting Dutchie can sing along with their biggest hits. They cover subjects like love, sorrow and also celebrating life.

8.
To show that we are able to bring forth music from all corners of the musical spectrum we have to include the Dutch rapper and poet Typhoon. With his complex layered lyrics with which he manages to transfer emotions he shows that the Dutch rap game has grown up and could use some more serious and poetic approach. And with his recent released new album Lobi Da Basi (Love is the boss) he shows his love for music and also his talent for singing. Check out this live performance of three of his new songs; goosebumps!

9.
Our semi-list-closer is an ode to the Dutch hiphop scene, some classic shit! Every Dutch person knows the Hiphop duo from the Far East, Zwolle: Opgezwolle. This duo consisting of Phreakyo Rico and Sticky Steez a.k.a. Rico and Sticks, accompanied by the masterpieces they call beats produces by the dj/producer Delic. Opgezwolle is one of those acts that is part of the Dutch music education, they brough real hiphop to live in the scene. With this song released 8 years ago we want to show you how far ahead of the game they were already in 2006.

10.
To close of our (of course incomplete) list of Dutch produce we give you the amazing singer Glennis Grace, who covered a song of another Dutch singer for a tv program. Little did they know it would turn out to be a gigantic hit, because she kills it. The first verse is nice and calm, with perfect pitch which tells you she is a fantastic singer. But what happens in the last bridge building up to the chorus keeps sending chills down our spine, that perfectly high pitched note is just pure perfection. (for those who don’t know where the epicness starts: 2:55, and 3:32)

We hope you all enjoyed some of the artists the small country, which is built half below sea level. Of course this is not all the Dutch have to offer, it is just a small bite of the deliciousness which is called the Dutch music industry.
We also wish the Dutch national team, “Oranje”, the best of luck in winning the world cup! Keep checking in on Digging For Gems to make sure you keep getting your fix of awesome artists and great music!

-The Biologist

Boom bap credibility

Upcoming in the Dutch rap and hip hop scene is the rap duo Exclamation. These two passionate lyricists are about to release their first EP as a duo. This EP is called Succes Gewenst, which roughly translated means success is much desired/appreciated, is a project which has been in the making for over a year and is finally presented to the public on saturday the 5th of April in Amsterdam and released for public download at the 6th.

 

The Duo
We at Digging For Gems had some inside access and had the opportunity to listen to the full EP and more before this is released. All we can say is that these tracks are pure gems. As every duo, this one exists of two parts, an alpha and an omega: Wolf and Massi. Both of them are in their mid-twenties and started rapping when they caught the rhyme virus in the mid nineties, when they came into contact with rappers like Eminem. From that moment, they were inspired to become musicians themselves. In their vision, everything there is to know about making music is making impeccable rhyme schemes and lyrically balanced tracks. They both say they are heavily influenced by mid-nineties rap but also by more recent musicians.
Wolf and Massi met each other back in high school, in the middle of their toughest times filled with loads of trouble. They connected through music and shared each others passion. Upon meeting they started making tracks together. Although at that moment they thought it was the real deal, in hindsight it was more for fun and practice. After growing apart, their paths crossed once again. This time however, it would be no more fun and practice: it was time for the real deal. They decided to get back into the lab and created some monstrous tracks, which is when Exclamation was born. From that point on they were focused more then ever on making a good EP and generating more attention and recognition for their work. This resulted in multiple radio shows, features on prominent websites and the EP release party on the 5th of April, which is (according to inside information) going to be an epic evening.

Succes Gewenst
On the 5th of April they will present their first EP in The Jam in Amsterdam, this EP consists of 6 tracks which are all uniquely flavored and consistently well written and produced. To let the public know who Exclamation is and what we can expect from their debut they have released two tracks so far. Golden Team was released 2 months ago and they also dropped their first music video which you can see on this page. Golden team has been featured on prominent websites like puna.nl, statemagazine.nl, 101barz and urbancontrol.nl. Their first video has been well received by hiphop lovers.
Although Golden Team is not on their EP, you immediately get what Exclamation is about. Real boom bap beats, accompanied by well written lyrics by two distinguishable individuals. None or little bragging and boasting and more storytelling. They are about real hiphop: a bit raw, but still there’s a message behind their appearance. They somehow remind us of old school and mid-nineties hip hop, also have clear new school influences.
To continue in the direction they started, they released a new track just a few days ago called: Alle tijd van de Wereld. Translated, this means ‘all the time in the world’. This track is about leaving everything behind and conquering the world. Showing their storytelling abilities but keeping it down to earth with that old school feeling to it.
Having the opportunity to listen to the full EP confirms that they are a consistent couple of artists, bringing us raw headbangers for the real hiphop heads, but also slightly more mellow tracks telling stories about who they are and how they came to be the persons they are right now. The EP is about wishing people good luck and success, but also to tell people it is appreciated to gain some success, some fruits of their labor. So by wishing everybody good luck they hope that the audience will do them the same.

Release party and free EP download
As mentioned before they will release the EP during the release party in Amsterdam on the 5th of april, and we of DFG will also be there. They have stated that they will put up their EP for free to download it from their Souncloud. They also like to keep in touch with their followers on their Facebook and Twitter.
We strongly recommend you check them out if you like hiphop, and be sure to join us at the release party on the 5th of April! We wish you all the success in the world.

-The Biologist